


I need Ibuprofen, not zombies.

by thebeastnamedzafarri



Category: zombie - Fandom
Genre: Apocalypse, Battling, Hangover, I need ibuprofen not zombies, Other, Short, Survival, Unfinished, Zombie, Zombies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-06
Updated: 2015-07-06
Packaged: 2018-04-07 23:17:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4281741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebeastnamedzafarri/pseuds/thebeastnamedzafarri
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Roommates Charlotte and Naomi battle through a hangover while battling through zombies. Young neighbor, Elijah joins along after his mother's demise. Charlotte's ex-boyfriend attempts to rekindle the flames.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I need Ibuprofen, not zombies.

**Author's Note:**

> **gore and graphic violence warning**  
> This story takes place at the start of the zombie apocalypse, so there will be the killing of zombies and such. There will also be presence of zombie animals and children, not just adults. 
> 
> Some beloved main characters may or may not perish depending on the direction the story takes. It is an unfinished work as of this point, and I will be taking advice from the readers as to where the story goes.

Charlotte awoke to a hangover and a blaring signal from the television. With her hand pressed to her head, she struggled to get up.  
“What the fuck…” she mumbled. Each tone from the TV pounded against her brain. Finally they stopped and a familiar voice sounded.  
“My fellow Americans, we are under attack. Please stay indoors. Do not drink water from your tap or refrigerator. Only bottled water is safe. All emergency services have been directed to the places that need them most. Lock your doors. Board your windows. Do not let anyone in. Again, we are under attack.” Charlotte gaped at her TV as the President shuffled papers for a second, before the warning tone returned and bars took over the screen again.  
“What the fuck?!” she repeated, very distressed. At this point, she was standing, hands at her sides, mouth agape. I must be drunk still, she thought. She stumbled across her apartment’s small living room to the huge floor-to-ceiling window. Sunlight found its way through the cracks in the blinds. Charlotte poked her fingers between two blades in the blinds and gently opened them. Bringing her eyes close to peer through the slit, a gasp escaped her lips.  
“What the fuck?” she said, once again.  
The view she had loved so many times before was now gone. Cars littered the road with their doors open, seemingly abandoned. Smoke clouds grew from somewhere four blocks away. Windows and glass doors were shattered in so many buildings that Charlotte lost count. There was no sign of any living beings. No dogs running or barking; no pigeons searching for scraps; and absolutely no people.  
Charlotte’s heart thundered in her chest as she backed away from her once picturesque window. Her headache grew with each beat. She had no clue what was going on or what had happened since arriving at a club downtown around 8 p.m. last night.  
How was she supposed to remember?  
My phone!  
She scrambled around miscellaneous objects in her living room, eventually finding her phone under the sofa. She couldn’t help but chuckle.  
“Not too drunk to forget to plug it in!” she said to herself. With a click of a button and a swipe across the screen, her phone’s main page greeted her. The unwelcome light caused her to squint. Countless missed calls and dozens of voicemails, amid a sea of texts.  
“I’m never this popular.” Charlotte scrolled through the missed calls, finding most of them to be from her ex-boyfriend, Benjamin. “What do you want?” Next she tried to listen to her voicemails. The first was from Ben.  
“Char, listen, we need to talk--” Charlotte deleted the message before she heard more.  
“Next!”  
“Seriously, call me, Char. I don’t--”  
“Delete!”  
“I don’t know if you’re ignoring me--”  
“Yes!”  
“Babe--”  
“Not your babe.” She was poised to keep deleting, until she heard a cheery female voice.  
“Hi Char, it’s Mom. Just wanted to check up on you. Haven’t seen you in a while. Call me! I love you.”  
There was a pause in the next message before Ben began speaking.  
“Char, please don’t delete this before listening. Something’s going on. You need to stay safe. Call me please.” That was left at 3 a.m. Charlotte hung up and started dialing her mom. The phone rang and rang but no one answered. Her heart started racing again. Reluctantly, she dialed Ben. He answered on the first ring.  
“Char,” he whispered.  
“Ben, what the fuck is going on?”  
“No one knows.” He continued in a hushed tone.  
“Why are you whispering?”  
“I can’t be loud.” In the background, Charlotte could hear someone shushing him.  
“Oh my God, are you with another girl right now? You wanted me to call you and you’re with another girl?!” Charlotte started seeing red.  
“No! Char! You don’t understand. We’re hiding!” Ben said, still keeping his voice as quiet as possible.  
“You’re such a liar. What are you ‘hiding from’?” Charlotte made air quotes with her free hand.  
“People. There are people attacking others. Nobody knows why. It’s like they’re rabid or something. Listen, you need to just stay at home. Lock your door, stay safe.”  
“Ben--”  
“No, listen. People are dying. I’ll come for you when I can. I need to go.”  
“Okay.”  
“Char?”  
“Yes?”  
“I lo--” Suddenly the line went dead. Her phone indicated that she had no signal. Charlotte stood in the middle of the room in stunned silence. The whole room was silent actually. Even the TV wasn’t making any sound. Charlotte took a few breaths and shook herself before finding her way to her bedroom. As she entered, she flicked the light switch up, but nothing happened. She sighed and continued on her way. I hate this building.  
Clothes were strewn across the floor and the bed was in a constant unmade state. Home sweet home. Charlotte found a random t-shirt and sniffed it. It didn’t smell like anything, so she shrugged and draped it over her arm. After collecting a pair of very comfortable sweatpants, she made her way to the bathroom down the hall.  
Her tight party dress gave her a battle before she managed to shimmy her way out of it. She groaned when she looked in the mirror.  
I look like the living dead. She ran her fingers across her cheek where a bruise acted as blush. Dried flakes of mascara were sprinkled across her cheekbones. Black eyeliner smudged down her face, making her eyes look sunken in. Blue eyeshadow was smeared across her eyelid and up her temples. Some party last night.  
Shuddering, she turned to the glass shower. Turning the handle all the way to the red side, she waited outside the door for the water to flow. After a few seconds of nothing, she grumbled and flipped the handle off. Fucking Naomi!  
She angrily stabbed her legs into the sweats and tugged the t-shirt over her head, then stomped her way to Naomi’s room.  
“Nay—oh—mee!!” Charlotte said in a sing-song voice. When nobody answered, she called Naomi’s name again, with a fist to the door. “Naomi, are you in there?” Charlotte pressed her ear against the door and heard a growl followed by rustling. Uneven footsteps grew louder as they came closer and closer. Charlotte was terrified as the footsteps stopped and the doorknob started to jiggle.  
People attacking others, Ben had said. Charlotte had heard the fear in his voice.  
Without realizing, she had taken two steps back to give herself distance and her muscles became tense in preparation for anything.  
The door slowly opened, creaking ominously. A hand reached out and gripped the door frame. Charlotte kept a close eye as a face emerged from the darkness. Through heavy makeup and messy black hair, Charlotte recognized Naomi. When the light hit her pupils, she let out a hiss and shielded her face with her hand. Her grip tightened on the sheet she was using to cover herself.  
“Holy shit, Char, what do you want?”  
“I’m sorry Naomi, I just wanted to ask you something.” Relief flooded Charlotte, erasing any anger she had felt.  
“Oh my God and you couldn’t just wait?”  
“Did you pay the water bill? Or the electric bill?” Naomi ran her hand down her face.  
“Duh. Why?”  
“We don’t have either.”  
“Well I don’t know why the fuck not.” Naomi bit out. As if she didn’t believe Charlotte, she flicked the light switch up and down. “Fuck nuggets.” Naomi turned her back to Charlotte and went into her room. Charlotte followed. Naomi dropped her sheet and rummaged through a clothes basket. She pulled out a Walking Dead shirt and long cargo shorts, as well as a pink sports bra and matching panties.  
Charlotte glanced away while Naomi dressed and noticed a strange lump under the comforter of Naomi’s bed.  
“What’s that? A new blow-up doll?” she giggled.  
“Huh? What?” Naomi turned on her heel to face the bed. “I don’t know. Did I bring someone home last night?”  
“I don’t know.” Charlotte hooked a finger under the blanket and slowly lifted the edge. When toes came into view, she pulled her hand away. “Toes.” She told Naomi.  
“I don’t remember coming home with anyone.” Naomi took a step towards the bed. She glanced at Charlotte before taking hold of the blanket. Slowly and quietly, she inched the blanket down, revealing a very fit brown-haired man. His scraggly hair covered his face, making it impossible to identify him. Naomi continued to remove the comforter until it reached his lower back. He lay completely still, with one arm bent up under his head and the other bent by his waist.  
“Huh. Guess you did.”  
“Yeah. He does have a really nice body though. I did good.” Naomi chuckled, looking at Charlotte. Charlotte gave the man a long puzzled look. What she noticed then gave her goosebumps all over her body.  
“Um, hey Naomi. I need you to step away. Come towards me.”  
“Why?” Naomi’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion.  
“Get your ass over here!” Charlotte said, sharply with a lot of urgency. She stabbed a finger toward the floor next to her.  
“Fine.” Naomi scoffed and took her spot next to Charlotte. “Why are you acting so spastic? You’re really freaking me out!”  
“Because you should be! He’s not breathing!” Charlotte was trying her hardest to stay calm, but Naomi was making it impossible. Naomi’s head whipped to face the man’s body.  
“Oh fuck…” she gasped, backing against the wall. “Oh fuck. Oh fuck!” Charlotte placed a hand over Naomi’s mouth to prevent her from screaming.  
“Please stay quiet.” Charlotte removed her hand and took careful steps toward the man. She stopped to examine his arms and neck. No obvious injuries except for a bruise around his wrist, shaped perfectly like a hand. Shivers travelled up and down Charlotte’s spine as he continued her inspection. When she got to his head, she gingerly swept his unkempt hair from his face and gasped at what greeted her.  
Yellow and haunting eyes locked in a lifeless stare. Pupils that were clouded with death. A mouth frozen open, as if he had died gasping for air. A foul-smelling liquid seeped from his mouth, slowly soaking into Naomi’s pillow. It took everything for Charlotte to prevent herself from retching. She yanked her hand back, letting the man’s brown locks fall across his face, effectively hiding it from view. Naomi was still against the wall, her hands pressed against it to stabilize herself.  
“What do we do?” she squeaked, eyes searching Charlotte’s.  
“I don’t know. It’s a ghost town outside and the TV said emergency responders have been sent elsewhere.”  
“Oh fuck. Oh fuck.”  
“Don’t start that again, please. Stay calm. Let me think.” For a few seconds, Charlotte’s mind raced through every scenario she could think of, while tears streamed down Naomi’s face. “Okay. Let’s just simply get him out of here for now…How about that?” Naomi stayed quiet, but nodded. “Alright. Let me get a sheet to carry him in. Are you okay to stay here?” Again Naomi nodded silently.  
As Charlotte passed Naomi to leave the room, she rubbed her shoulder, trying to provide some comfort. The linen closet contained many great options. So many worn out sheets. Charlotte picked one at random and carried it back into the room. “Help me spread this out.” They each took a side and covered the floor next to the bed. “Okay. Now we have to get this comforter off him and roll him off.” Naomi nodded. She was on the foot end of him, so she gripped the blanket and tugged it off.  
“Oh my God,” she gasped, pausing.  
“What?” Charlotte looked to where Naomi was pointing and covered her mouth. On the man’s right calf, there was a large square bandage that was soaked with blood. One corner of the medical tape had come loose. Against her better judgement, Charlotte moved closer and peeled the rest of the bandage off, revealing a deep, oozing wound. It seemed to be fresh, or at least it was before he had died. “Wait a minute. It’s hard to see in this darkness…But that looks like teeth marks…” her finger circled above the edge of the wound. “It’s really deep…Like a chunk of him is missing. Oh my God, look at these streaks around it.” Translucent black streaks were spread out in every direction around the injury.  
“What is it?”  
“I have no idea. But I do know that we need to get him the fuck out of here.” Charlotte grabbed his arm and heaved. She had to use her entire weight to get him to budge. As his body moved, there was a chorus of popping and a new odor came from his mouth, along with a reddish-black liquid.  
“Fucking gross!” Charlotte exclaimed, nearly releasing the man’s arm. Naomi jumped on the bed to push. Finally the girls were able to maneuver his body to the floor. “Thank you.” Charlotte said as she ran the back of her hand against her forehead. Her headache was still present, but not as strong now.  
“Now what?”  
“Well, we need to roll him up or tie the sheet or something.” As they bent to tie the man’s body within the sheet, there was a loud knocking at the front door.  
“Who’s that?” Naomi whispered.  
“I don’t know. But I don’t want you in here with him.” Charlotte moved to exit the room, grabbing Naomi’s hand and dragging her along. She shut the door behind them. “Just sit down. I’ll see who this is.” Naomi nodded and started towards the couch. Charlotte cautiously walked to the door. The knocking started again, this time faster.  
Please be Ben.  
Charlotte stood on her tiptoes to look through the peephole. It wasn’t Ben, but the adorable little boy from apartment 221. She had seen him and his mom around the building, but didn’t know them. Her immediate instinct was to open the door and let him in. But Ben had said people were attacking people and with that bite mark on that man…She had to play safe. She inspected the boy as much as she could. Tears freely ran down his face and he was still wearing his pajamas; Buzz Lightyear footy-pajamas. He clutched a worn-out teddy bear to his chest and stared down the hallway. Again, he frantically knocked. Seeing no obvious threat or injury, she opened the door and ushered the boy inside.  
“Thank you, Miss!” he chirped, as Charlotte surveyed him once more. She moved his head from left to right, looking for any wounds. No blood was on his clothing, and no bites or scratches were on his uncovered skin. Naomi remained on the couch, but spoke.  
“Is he okay? Is he safe?”  
“I don’t know yet. Kid, have you been hurt? Did anyone try and hurt you?”  
“N—No. But my…My mommy didn’t wake up.” A pang struck Charlotte’s heart and she placed her hands on the boy’s shoulders. She knelt to his level and asked him his name.  
“Elijah. But I like Eli!”  
“Then Eli it is. How old are you, Eli?”  
The boy puffed out his chest before saying, “I’m six years old. And Goober is 10 years old at least.”  
“Who’s Goober? Your brother?”  
“No, my teddy bear!” He moved the bear to show him off.  
“Oh, he’s a very nice bear.”  
“He is. He protects me.” Eli paused and stared up at Charlotte with squinty eyes. “Are you a clown?” Charlotte chuckled and shook her head.  
“No, we’re not clowns. Our mommies just aren’t around to tell us to wash anymore!” Eli flashed an almost toothless grin. “Are you hungry?” He nodded and she took his hand to lead him into the kitchen area. She picked him up and sat him on the island counter.  
“Mommy doesn’t let me sit up here!”  
“Well you can sit up here in our place.” Eli let out a squealing giggle. “So do you like cereal?”  
“My favorite is Lucky Charms, but Goober likes Mini Wheats cause he’s old!” Charlotte snickered and prepared a nice bowl of Lucky Charms for the boy. Naomi was staring blankly at the hallway to her room, rubbing her forearm.  
“Doing okay over there, Naomi?”  
“Huh? Oh. Yeah.”  
“Okay.” Charlotte watched Eli pick out and eat all of the normal cereal pieces, leaving a bowl of marshmallows. “Do you not like marshmallows?”  
“They’re my favorite! I save them.” Then he grabbed a whole spoonful of marshmallows and devoured them. He was making loud slurping sounds as he ate; Charlotte and Naomi couldn’t help but laugh. Just as Eli collected the last of the marshmallows, there was a loud thump at the door, as if someone had thrown themselves against it.  
“Stay right here, okay?” Charlotte tapped the counter. Eli grabbed Goober and hugged him tight.  
“If its Mommy, don’t tell her I sat here!”  
Charlotte went to the door and peered through the peephole. “There’s no one here.” She said, very confused. Then there was another loud thump. She whipped around and Naomi was doe-eyed, staring in the direction of her room. Eli had his small index finger pointed at the darkened hallway.  
The three were frozen in fear.  
“I thought you said he was dead,” Naomi whispered, slowly rising from her seat.  
“He was. What the fuck.” Eli barely stifled a whimper, a tear rolling from his blue eyes. “Hush, little one, it’ll be okay. We’ll keep you safe.” Charlotte tried her best to comfort the boy, who had begun shaking.  
“We need to get out of here,” Naomi pleaded with Charlotte, “Right now.” Charlotte nodded and then noticed her incorrect choice of clothing.  
“Naomi, you’re dressed to leave, I’m not. Let’s grab a few things first. Watch Eli while I go get some different clothes. Pack some dry and canned food. Oh, and bottled water!” Charlotte began towards her room, which was at the beginning of the hallway. “I’ll just be a minute.”  
In a hurry, Charlotte collected a variety of clothing and stuffed it into a small rolling suitcase. She changed from sweatpants to a pair of denim capris. She put on a sports bra before throwing on a different t-shirt, then grabbed a light jacket that was hanging on the back of her office chair. Satisfied with her choices, she turned and started for the door. She hesitated just before the entry.  
A picture of her mom and her hung just above the light switch in a light brown frame. Charlotte prevented herself from crying, but she couldn’t help removing the frame and taking the picture. She meticulously folded it so that her mother’s face was away from any crease and gently placed it in a suitcase pocket. As the wheels rolled down the hall, Charlotte could hear a menacing, gurgling growl from Naomi’s room. She refused to stop.  
“Okay guys, I have everything. Naomi, you can fit in my clothes, so we can share. Did you grab enough food?”  
“Yes.” Naomi replied, pointing to a pile on the floor. Every canned good in their apartment made up the bottom along with water bottles, then graham crackers and the whole wheat crackers that Charlotte hated, then cereal boxes. There were a few random items as well.  
“Throw some beef jerky in there and food from the fridge for us to eat today. We don’t know what’s out there.”  
“Sure thing.”  
Charlotte grabbed the little red wagon that had been occupying the corner of the living room for the last few weeks. I don’t think Sarah is going to need this wagon anymore, she thought, while images of her little sister passed through her mind. The wagon was going to be her birthday present. She stacked the food on one side very carefully, and then covered it with a blanket from the sofa, making sure to tuck the sides in. She lifted the suitcase and placed it in the empty space of the wagon.  
“Eli, are you ready for a road trip?”  
“But Mommy doesn’t let me wear Buzz outside.”  
“We’ll take care of that, okay Buddy?”  
“Goober says we’ll be alright.”  
“We will,” Charlotte smiled at the boy. “Naomi, we’re going to have to make a detour.” Naomi looked up at Charlotte and then at Eli.  
“Okay, but we need to be safe. We don’t know if more…things are out there. We need to protect ourselves.” Charlotte nodded and removed every knife from the knife-holder on the counter. She packed them along the sides of the food in the wagon. Afterwards, she snatched the baseball bat from the top of the bookshelf. Carefully balancing it in one hand, she grew accustomed to the feel of it.  
If any of those fuckers want to mess with me, I’ll teach them a thing or two about baseball.  
Naomi added two Ziploc bags of beef jerky, some apples, and a few Tupperware containers of leftover food. “That’s all we got.”  
“Great. So Eli lives in apartment 221. I was thinking we could stop by and get some of his stuff.” Naomi nodded in response and lifted Eli from the countertop. Charlotte held his hand and led him to the front door, Naomi following with the wagon. Charlotte turned her face and pressed her index finger against her lips to signal them to stay quiet. Eli mimicked her, making a quiet shushing sound.  
Taking in a large breath, Charlotte opened the door with a shaking hand. Before allowing anyone to exit, she poked her head out into the building’s large hallway. The lights were out and darkness took over every inch. The windows on each side cast strange dancing shadows over the floor and walls. Seeing no threat, she motioned to Eli and Naomi.  
The group slowly made their way down the hallway to the main staircase. Naomi and Charlotte lived on the third floor. The apartment where Eli resided was on the way, since they were already headed down. Naomi held the edge of one side of the wagon and Charlotte grabbed the other. Eli’s fingers kept a tight grip on Charlotte’s shirt as they took the stairs step by step.  
“Wow, this is heavier than I thought…” Naomi grunted.  
Finally they came to the landing of the second floor. The girls lowered the wagon to the floor and Charlotte took Eli’s hand once again. She assessed the hallway before stepping out of the stairwell. Again, she could see no threats.  
Eli tried to take the lead, but Charlotte kept him safely behind her. Naomi was behind Eli, keeping an eye on the other end of the hallway. They passed door after door and finally came to apartment 221.  
Charlotte frowned when new light flickered into the hallway and illuminated the door. Her hand tightened around Eli’s.  
The gleam of a smeared, red handprint became clear, with drips running down the length of the wood.  
“Naomi, something’s wrong here. I’m going to check this out before we all go in. Eli, can you stay right here?” He nodded, and then pressed Goober into Charlotte’s hand. She had to smile at the boy’s kindness.  
Turning away from Eli, she pushed the door open with the tip of the baseball bat. She hesitantly took a step in and listened.  
The apartment was completely silent, eerily so. It was a different floorplan than Charlotte’s apartment, so her nervousness doubled. The front door opened into a short hallway, which led to a medium-sized living room. Two doors were on the far wall. One door was painted white and had a crayon drawing across the middle, at Eli’s height. There were long claw marks running down from the top. Charlotte’s view into the living room was obstructed by one of the walls of the hallway, but she could see sunlight pouring into the room.  
No person-shaped shadows.  
Taking small steps, she eased herself into the apartment, keeping her baseball bat ready for any surprises. The rest of the living room opened up, revealing a window, decorated only with a spider web of cracks. At the center was a bright red circle, with drips trying to find their way to the floor. The furniture was plain; only a floral print sofa was in the room, on top of a homemade rug. There were a few pictures on one wall. The majority of them were of Eli. One was of Eli and his mother on a beach; another was of a man Charlotte didn’t recognize. He was tanned and had five o’clock shadow. His hair was shaved close to his head.  
Charlotte continued her exploration. The white door was closed, but the other door was slightly open. It appeared to be cracked in the center, causing the wood to splinter and bow outward. Charlotte crept near the wall, keeping her footsteps as light as possible. Again using the bat to push the door open, she maneuvered her body to the opposite side so she could easily see inside the dark room. Only very little light was able to make it through the thick curtains, causing a hard time for Charlotte to recognize anything besides the large bedframe.  
She stood her ground for a few moments while knocking the bat against the door very slightly. There was absolute silence in the darkness.  
Suddenly there was a loud rustling from the other room. Charlotte nearly jumped out of her skin. She hastened to the white door and wrapped her hand around the doorknob. There was more rustling and Charlotte paused. She tried her best to calm her nerves, then twisted the doorknob and gently nudged the door open with her palm.  
A large, uncovered window allowed sunlight to soak every corner of the room. Charlotte could see a bed shaped like a spaceship, toys on shelves and on the floor, and posters of Buzz Lightyear tacked to every wall. This was obviously Eli’s room. A squeak came from behind the door and Charlotte nearly screamed. She rushed to the middle of the room and raised her bat. Around the corner of the wood, she was able to see a glass tank perched on a metal frame. Inside the tank sat a little purple igloo and a white plastic bowl that was chewed around the edges. A small brown animal was hiding in the igloo; its nose barely visible.  
Charlotte’s hands went to her knees and she bent over, letting out a short chuckle. Oh my God, it’s just a pet.  
“Hey little guy,” she said quietly as she crossed the floor. The animal let out a few high pitched squeaks. The food dish was completely empty and the water bottle only had a quarter of water left. Charlotte lifted the igloo, exposing a very scared guinea pig. It ran from her hand and backed against the farthest side of the tank. She set the igloo back in place and turned to survey the room. There was a small blue dresser by the bed, covered in stickers. On one wall, there was an open door leading to a bathroom. Charlotte discovered that it connected the two bedrooms.  
A child-sized Buzz Lightyear backpack sat in a plastic play chair. She grabbed it and walked to the dresser, pulling out every drawer. One contained socks, another held pants. Charlotte grabbed a few articles from each drawer, trying to fill the backpack.  
“Hey guys, I’m pretty sure it’s safe to come in now.” She called to Naomi and Eli. Tiny feet ran across the floor of the living room.  
“Donut!” shouted Eli, pressing his hands and face against the glass of the tank. The guinea pig squeaked happily in response and came out from hiding. Charlotte watched as Naomi entered the living room and stood watching the front door.  
“Eli, I need you to change really quick, okay? I can help you if you need it.”  
“No, I’ve done it lots of times,” he said, smiling brightly up at Charlotte. “Goober kept you safe!” His hands reached for the bear.  
“Yes, he did. You can have him back.” The boy snatched the bear from Charlotte’s hand and cuddled him. He ran over to the dresser and had to stand on his toes to look inside some of the drawers. He reached as far into one of them as he could and pulled out a pair of lime green shorts. He nodded to himself and looked into another drawer. Charlotte watched as he tugged on a light blue t-shirt. When it finally came loose, he stumbled back a step but quickly regained his footing. He made a short noise at Charlotte and waved his hand for her to leave.  
She left the door open, but did as he wanted. Rejoining Naomi, she tried to start a conversation.  
“Are you doing okay?”  
“Yeah. This whole situation is fucked up. What is even going on?” Her big brown eyes glistened with tears.  
“I don’t know, but we’ll figure it out. We just have to.” Naomi ‘s gaze fell to the floor. “Ben’s supposed to be coming for me, and you. And Eli now.”  
“Why are we leaving then? How will he find us?”  
“I don’t know. It’s not safe here. And we have more than just us to worry about now.” As she finished speaking, Eli came out of the room. His choice of outfit made the girls giggle. The shirt didn’t coordinate with his pants at all, and it was on backwards. “Oh God, Eli, let me help you.” Charlotte moved to his side and made him pull his arms out of the shirt. “Let’s turn this around. It’ll be more comfortable.” After fixing it, she asked, “Are you sure you want to wear this?” Eli grinned excitedly.  
“Alright, you silly boy,” Naomi said, her hand covering her smile. Charlotte grabbed the little backpack from Eli’s room and placed it in the wagon. Naomi turned to face the front door and Eli shrieked.  
“Donut!!!”  
“What donut?” Naomi looked at Charlotte with a puzzled expression.  
“His guinea pig.” Charlotte was unsure about taking a pet along with them, not knowing what was outside of the building. But Eli just wouldn’t stop screaming. “Okay, okay, Eli, we’ll take Donut along. Do you have a carrying cage for him?” He ran into his room and knocked around a few things, eventually pulling out a smaller cage, one meant only for veterinarian visits. Charlotte helped him scoop Donut up and lower him into the habitat. She grabbed the food dish and the small bag of food, as well as the water bottle. “Is this all he needs?” Eli nodded and carried him out to Naomi.  
“This wagon is getting really full…Are you sure we’ll be able to lift it this time?”  
“We’ll have to. Eli, can you carry Donut down the stairs?” Eli bobbed his head up and down with another grin on his face. “I need you to wear your backpack, okay?” She handed the backpack to him and he energetically poked his arms through the straps.  
“I love Buzz.” He whispered to Donut.  
Just as Charlotte and Naomi were prepared to leave, Eli squealed.  
“Eli, hush!” Charlotte went to grab his arm before she realized what he was squealing at; in the shadows of the hall stood a woman. Her head was drooped down, making her long hair fall over her face and shoulders. She was clad only in a white sheer gown. A large tear bared her midriff. Charlotte knew that something wasn’t right, but before she could reach Eli, he took off in a sprint toward the figure.  
“Mommy!! Mommy, you woke up!” He shouted with all the force his lungs could allow.  
“Eli, no! Come back here!” Charlotte ran after him. She barely caught the handle of the backpack as he made it to the beginning of the hallway. Tugging him backwards, he screamed anew.  
“No! Let me go! It’s my mommy!!” He wriggled and fought against Charlotte. She flashed her gaze up at the figure and its face rose. Yellow eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. With only dim light in the hallway, Charlotte could barely see the lips twisting into a demented smile. Black liquid dripped from the corners, following the curve of woman’s chin and down the front of her gown.  
“It’s not your mommy anymore.” Charlotte warned, trying to wrangle the child. He stilled in her arms when the woman threw her head back and let out an ear-piercing screech. Charlotte watched, horrified, as the woman crouched, readying herself to charge. “Naomi, get the fuck back! Take Eli into his room and stay there!” She pushed the boy into Naomi’s arms and turned to face the front door. She could hear Naomi running away, with Eli’s short legs trying to keep up. The door slammed and Charlotte heard a click. Safe. Now to kill this mother--  
The woman growled and sprinted head first toward Charlotte. She barely dodged the first swipe of the woman’s claws. As the woman gained her balance again, Charlotte readied herself with her bat. With all her strength, she swung the bat. It connected directly with the side of the woman’s head. The sound of cracking bone echoed through the apartment, followed by the squelching of wet tissue. The woman staggered. Her hands fell to her sides and her head lolled.  
But that wasn’t enough to stop her attacks. She recovered and took another swipe at Charlotte. She was able to push the woman away and prepared to swing. This time her weapon caved in the woman’s skull.  
Charlotte watched as the mother took a shaky step forward, but fell to her knees. Timber. She placed her foot on the woman’s chest and kicked her backwards. Gazing over the lifeless body, Charlotte grew sad. She glanced at Eli’s door and thought to herself, he should never see this. She covered the body with a large blanket from the sofa and wiped off her bat.  
“It’s safe, guys. Come out now.” The door creaked open and Eli’s face emerged. Charlotte could tell he had been crying. His bloodshot eyes searched hers.  
“Where’s mommy?” he squeaked.  
“She was sick, baby boy.” She crossed the room to embrace him tightly. “It’s okay. Don’t be afraid.”  
“Daddy was sick too. He left too.” Eli sobbed against Charlotte’s shoulder, wetting her shirt. That’s who the man in the photo was. “I h-heard the doctors say he had a…thing living inside him, e-eating him up...” Oh God, cancer…  
For moments, the two sat on the floor and hugged each other. Naomi stood guard to allow Eli to be upset. He eventually stopped crying. Sniffling, he wiped his face with his hand.  
“Where’s Goober?” he mumbled.  
“Naomi, do you see Goober?” Her gaze swept across the floor of the living room. The bear was by the beginning of the hallway, against the corner of the wall. As she plucked him up, one of his arms dangled freely, held on only by a thread.  
“Oh shit…” she whispered, gently holding the loose arm. When she brought it over to Eli, his eyes went wide.  
“Goober, are you hurt?!” He snatched the bear from Naomi’s hands and held him tight. “No Goober. You’re not sick. Daddy left you with me a-cause you need to take care of me!” The boy pressed the bear’s arm against its body, frustrated when it would go limp again. He shook his head fervently.  
“Eli, it’s okay, I know how to fix teddy bears,” Charlotte reached out and cupped the boy’s cheeks with both hands. “Goober isn’t sick.” He reluctantly placed the bear on her lap and buried his face in his knees. She held the bear as delicately as possible, not wanting to damage him any more than he already was.  
Naomi sat with Eli as Charlotte left the room. She used her phone as a flashlight as she scoured the mother’s room. On a desk in the corner she found a Brother sewing machine, an assortment of needles and thread, and scissors. She grabbed three spools of thread in different colors, the pack of needles, and the scissors. To amuse Eli, she wanted to fashion a sort of sling for the damaged arm. The mother’s closet had all sorts of random clothing, so Charlotte picked out a white shirt and left the room.  
In the light of the living room, she was able to begin repairing the torn seam. The work was soothing to Charlotte. Naomi had begun to sing softly to Eli, and he was rocking in her arms. Once she finished sewing, she took the shirt in hand and ripped off a long stretch of fabric. She looped the fabric around the elbow of the bear’s arm and tied it around the opposite side of his neck. Smiling, she held the bear up in the sunlight as if he was Simba.  
“Hey Eli, take a looksee,” Naomi said, pointing at the bear. His face lifted and his eyes twinkled when he saw Goober. Jumping up, he nearly knocked Naomi backwards.  
“Goober, you look great!” He said, grasping the bear. “Miss Charlotte, you are so cool.” The boy reached up at Charlotte for a hug. She knelt down and snuggled him.  
“I told you I could fix teddies.” Eli happily ran back to Naomi to show off his bear.  
Charlotte paused for a moment and thought to herself. If they were going to be leaving the building, she knew she had to leave some sort of message for Ben.  
I can’t have him enter this building…  
She remembered seeing some acrylic paints on the play table in Eli’s room. She dashed in and grabbed a bottle of white paint and a sponge brush. Perfect.  
“Ready to go?” she said to Naomi and Eli while walking back to them.  
“Yep, we’re all ready.” Naomi replied, ruffling Eli’s blond hair.  
As Charlotte passed the pictures on the wall, she retrieved the one of Eli and his mother, as well as the one of his father. She carefully folded them and hid them in her suitcase. Grabbing Eli’s hand in one of hers, and the handle of the cage with the other, she started for the front door.  
No other figures stood in the hallway and the group made their way safely through the building. When they exited the staircase, they were met by a ransacked lobby; Charlotte’s eyes swept across the wreckage.  
What she assumed to be blood was splattered in various places on the floor and walls. Dark red footprints dragged towards the main entrance; its clear glass panels broken out. Jagged shards covered the front tiles of the lobby. The two leather couches that were against the one wall were torn to shreds. Every plant in the room had been thrown around, leaving piles of dirt everywhere.  
“What the fuck…” Charlotte said under her breath. Eli’s grip tightened as he scooted closer to her leg. Naomi cast a worried glance at Charlotte before pulling the wagon across the tiles. The rubber wheels didn’t make much noise, relieving her.  
Just before the entrance, Charlotte balanced the pet cage over her suitcase and secured it with some cloth scraps. She hefted Eli into her arms and carried him over the glass. He was wearing shoes, but she didn’t want him to trip and fall. The last thing we need today is one of us getting hurt.  
The shards cracked loudly as her full weight pressed on them. The sounds echoed through the lobby, making her cringe.  
“Be careful, Char.” Naomi warned. Charlotte cautiously poked her head out of an empty panel of the door to check their surroundings. There wasn’t any movement outside except for a newspaper being torn around in the wind. It was a very strange sight to see a city as big as this so empty.  
After making sure the coast was clear, Charlotte gently kicked the door open with her right foot. Both arms were preoccupied trying to hold Eli against her torso. The warmth from the sunshine was pleasant, yet there was still a breeze that caused them to shiver. She set the boy down on the sidewalk and he pulled at the bottom of his t-shirt to adjust it.  
“It’s cold.” He murmured, hugging his bear. Charlotte removed her jacket and handed it to Eli. It was obviously way too big for his little frame, but he took it from her anyway. She grabbed the paint and brush and turned to the front of the building.  
“Ben, we had to leave. Meet us where we had our first date.” She read aloud when she finished writing. “Love, Char.” The words were painted in big white letters across the brick wall. There would be no missing this. A tug on the back of her shirt brought her attention back to Eli. With big eyes, he stared up at her.  
“That’s a good message, Char.” Naomi said; her gaze fixated on something down the street. “Let’s get out of here. Lead the way.”  
The three forged on, following Charlotte. Being at the front meant she was also the lookout. Eli kept his attention to the ground; his short legs struggling to keep up. Charlotte held his hand tightly and made sure he was close to her.  
“So where is this place?” Naomi eventually asked. Just then, the wheels of the wagon became tangled on a plastic bag, causing her to pause and tug it away. Charlotte also stopped to let Eli rest for a moment.  
“It’s a few blocks away. Remember the old pizza place that foreclosed and was turned into this awful salon?” Charlotte replied as she readjusted Eli’s backpack.  
“Oh, yeah, Ruben’s?” The plastic bag came dislodged and Naomi nearly fell onto her back.  
“That’s the one. We had the most awful first date in history. The day after we were both puking our guts out because of food poisoning.”  
“You can’t get much worse than that.”  
“Oh but it did. He had forgotten his wallet on the table and someone stole all of his money and cards.”  
“Jesus.”  
“Shoulda known then that we would have a rocky relationship.”  
“I guess. Honestly, I always thought you two were the perfect match.” Charlotte scoffed at Naomi and continued; her gaze locked ahead. The three walked in silence for a block before Charlotte stopped dead in her tracks. She latched onto Eli’s backpack and pulled him in close.  
“What? What’s wrong?” Charlotte hushed Naomi and raised her pointed hand. Naomi’s eyes followed the direction and spotted a dog near the door of an abandoned market. Its mouth was open wide, the animal panting very heavily. Fur was missing in quite a few places and there was a gash on its abdomen near its hind leg. The dog was twitching wildly with every step it took. It didn’t seem to have any sense of direction and continued to wander mindlessly.  
“That’s not right.” Charlotte murmured, ushering Naomi and Eli to her left. The road continued on that way and she wanted to get as far away from this canine as she possibly could. She grabbed her baseball bat from the wagon just in case. Naomi took Eli in her arms and moved with a new sense of urgency. Charlotte followed, keeping an eye behind her. The wheels on the wagon were squeaking slightly as it was pulled behind Naomi and Charlotte was trying her best to stay calm.


End file.
